Even more consequential than the loss of forest is the loss of interior forest. Interior forest is less susceptible to pollution, changes in soil moisture and attacks from invasive species than non-interior forest, making it critical to maintaining a forest’s ecological health.

Using global tree cover data, scientists found that the rate of loss of interior forest was three times greater than the net loss of global forest. Loss of interior forest was due to changes in human land use in some cases, or due to changes caused by natural events such as fires.

The researchers looked at changes in land patterns for different biomes and ecological systems. Generally, it was found that interior forest was vanishing at a faster rate due to an increase in forest fragmentation, which broke forest up and prevented it ecologically from functioning as interior forest.

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The Environmental Monitor is a journal covering products, projects and trends in the environmental monitoring industry. Published by Fondriest Environmental, the print and online versions of the Environmental Monitor aim to help professionals stay informed about developments in their industry.

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